3 Unusual Rules To Get Wealthy: First, Ditch the Degrees

Getting wealthy is not about having certificates and diplomas.

If it were, universities would be staffed by the richest persons in the world.

But they’re not.

On the other hand, Ronald James Read, a janitor at JC Penney amassed $8 million dollars in assets.

(He’s incidentally a case study in our Mastery Not Required program where we teach our students to grow their wealth and income, mastery not required.)

Learning to grow your wealth isn’t neatly bundled into university degrees or diplomas, or even training programs.

With 85% of people saying their dissatisfied with the way they make a living, I’d be prepared to wager that there’s something wrong with the way we’ve been taught to attain and grow our wealth…

Keep things really, really simple

In my 20 years in corporate law, I’ve attended my share of training on business models.  Most of them taught models that were complicated, cost a lot, and depended on an army of stressed-out individuals.

I was on the board of directors of numerous startup and growth stage funds.  Untold numbers of pitch decks crossed my desk.  CEOs trying to get us to invest used big words and complicated math to make things seem ‘special’.

Most of the time, it wasn’t special.

What always impressed me, were the ones who didn’t try so hard.

The ones who kept things simple.

Being able to articulate something simply, showed me that they really understood the value they were bringing to the table. 

On the other hand, most people try to complicate things, because conventional wisdom often tells us that simple things are too simple, and complicated things are worth our effort.

When I first started my online business, I deliberately kept things simple.  I set things up such that I had a product to sell that wasn’t mine, meaning I didn’t need to collect money or deliver the goods.  I didn’t need to offer support. All I needed to do was to market it.

Most people said, “it won’t work, it’s too simple.”

It worked.  I replaced my corporate law income in months and built a 7 figure business in the next year.

The thing is, conventional wisdom often isn’t wise.  If it were, most people would be wise and wealthy, and sadly, most people aren’t.

3 simple rules that helped me live a fulfilling wealthy life

3 things I’ve found really helped me get out of the rat race are:

1. Get off the beaten path (they don’t call it the scenic route for nothing):  If you don’t want to be ‘normal’, go to a ‘normal’ job, live a ‘normal stressed out life’, then have a ‘normal non-wealthy retirement’, then you’ve got to think in a non-normal way.  Learn to question the norms. You’ll find that most of the time, the norms are complicated. There is often a better, and simpler way.
2. Fail fast:  I’ll admit it, I’m a quitter.  Tenacity is over-rated.  If something doesn’t work, I quit doing it and do something else.  What’s important is you take the lesson.  And to take the lesson, you need to take the responsibility.  Once you do that, you’ll learn with each failure, and get closer to your goal every single time.
3. Follow your purpose:  You’ll never lead a fulfilled life following someone else’s purpose or doing things someone else’s way.  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll be fulfilled once you’re wealthy.  You won’t.  If you’re dissatisfied now, you’ll be dissatisfied then.  That’s why we always tell our students to start with their life’s purpose, and then help them use that to figure out the best way to make money.

The path worth taking

This approach is simple. In fact, simplicity is the key. That said, it won’t be easy.

You’ll be met with skepticism.  People want you on the beaten path.  And it’ll be out of the best of intentions.  When I quit corporate law, most people though I was nuts.

But you need to ask yourself – are you satisfied with life as it is, or do you want to make a change?

Because there’s a better way.  A way that will lead to fulfilment because it takes into account your purpose.  A way that will lead to wealth because we manage risk.

Perhaps it’s time to create the life that you deserve?

In conclusion…

The conventional life may be comfortable, but it’s often not fulfilling. 

I’ve often found that the biggest threat to living your best life, is have a comfortable one.

So challenge the status quo, allow yourself to take action and fail if you fail, and always follow your purpose.

Because if you do, your journey will always lead to fulfillment.